Declaration by the Presidency on behalf on the European Union on latest incidents in
East Timor

The European Union is deeply concerned that since its April 12 declaration violence has
escalated substantially in East Timor. In Dili, pro-integration militias have carried out
new attacks on 17 and 18 April killing some thirty unarmed civilians and injuring many
more. The teenage son of Manuel Jose Carrascalao, speaker of Conselho Nacional da
Resistencia Timorense, is reported to be amongst those killed. The EU is particularly
concerned that these acts of violence occurred within a short distance of the military
command of the Indonesian armed forces stationed in East Timor and that those forces did
not intervene in order to prevent or stop the incident.

The EU strongly condemns these acts of violence and urges all parties in the territory
of East Timor to show the utmost restraint in order to avoid further such incidents. The
EU expresses its deep concern that the Indonesian authorities were unable to prevent the
new attacks resulting in the loss of innocent human lives. The EU notes in this context
the fact that the Indonesian government has likewise condemned these attacks and taken
responsibility for the incident. The EU urges the Indonesian government actively to assume
its responsibility and to ensure that violence will not recur. The EU again reiterates its
position that it remains the obligation of the Indonesian government to maintain and
preserve security, stability and public order in East Timor, to disarm militias and hold
accountable those responsible for the killings.

Recent developments have shown that a UN presence in East Timor is urgently needed to
help prevent further violent clashes in East Timor. The EU urges the Indonesian
authorities to recognise this need and to allow the UN to deploy its personnel in the
territory.

The EU underlines the importance of the ongoing tripartite negotiating process which
remains the only way to reach a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable
solution to the East Timorese issue taking into account the rights of the people of East
Timor and the interests of all parties concerned.